Immature Emperor penguin tobogganing on sea ice

Emperor penguins are rarely seen in ordinary tourist trips to Antarctica, but the young Emperors often stray much further north from the breeding colonies than the adults and we were lucky to see a few of them on the sea ice between South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. We followed this young bird for about an hour and got as close as 50 meter from it.

Emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) is the largest of all living penguin species reaching up to 122 cm (48 in) in height and with a weigh up to 45 kg (99 lb).

Immature Emperor penguin tobogganing on sea ice near AntarcticaImmature Emperor penguin tobogganing on sea ice near Bransfield Island in the Antarctic Peninsula. Emperor penguins are rarely seen on ordinary tourist trips to Antarctica, but we were lucky.